Ohio parents may be aware of the danger that dressers can pose to curious toddlers. Youngsters often try to climb them to reach items on the top, but the dresser could fall on them. On June 27, IKEA recalled 29 million chests and dressers that are particularly prone to this type of accident.
The IKEA furniture recall involves the ‘Malm” series of chests and dressers that have already been linked to the deaths of three toddlers. The president of IKEA USA warned consumers that the recalled furniture could be dangerous and should be taken out of the room or anchored to the wall. The company will be offering its customers a refund or a free repair kit that can be used to anchor defective Malm furniture to the wall.
Issuing a recall was not the first action that IKEA took after finding out that Malm furniture had killed three children. Last year, the company started a campaign to tell parents to anchor furniture and sent out 300,000 repair kits. The company said that it decided to issue the recall because it knows that unsecured chests and dressers are still in customers’ homes. According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, U.S. emergency rooms see children who have been injured by a falling television set or a piece of furniture on an average of more than twice every hour.
Defective products unfortunately cause far too many injuries and deaths around the country every year. Those who have been harmed in such a manner may want to meet with an attorney who has product liability litigation experience to see if a lawsuit filed against the manufacturer or distributor would be an appropriate way to seek compensation for their losses.